I was in London on Wednesday and Thursday of last week for a meeting of Liberal Democrat Councillors at the Local Government Association.  I made the trip at my own expense.  During our meeting we had discussion with several government ministers including Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister as follows: 

•  We were able to quiz David Laws MP the Minister of State for Schools about Academies and received his assurance that he is working hard to ensure that Local Education Authorities retain a role in the governance of Academy Schools.
• On Thursday morning Nick Clegg MP came a long for a wide-ranging excchange of views with Liberal Democrat councillors – something the other party leaders do not do with their councillors. I was able to raise the prospect of the Preston City Deal with him, something that will be tremendously beneficial to the Lancashire enterprise zone if it comes off.
• At lunchtime we had a discussion about closer working between the NHS, GPs and Social services – an issue that is very close to my heart. In three London boroughs they have managed to trial a new system and it has worked.  I wanted to know how they did it because I know that none of their computer systems talk to each other properly. The answer seems to be that groups of people working harmoniously together can resolve the problems, save money and better serve the community – no great surprise there then!
• In the afternoon we had a discussion with Don Foster MP,  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who is as unhappy as the rest of us about the “bedroom tax”.  It seemed grossly unfair to all of us that someone should have their rent increased for having an unoccupied bedroom, if there was no alternative accommodation in their immediate locality.
• Finally, I went to the Department of Energy and Climate Change to have a discussion about Fracking with a senior advisor to Ed Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.  I was somewhat reassured to hear that it is not the government’s intention to remove planning consent in this area from local authorities – let’s hope that they stick to that view and that they are not presurised into change by Mr Osborne at the Treasury!